Geralt of Rivia
Geralt of Rivia (Polish: Geralt z Rivii) is a witcher and the main protagonist of the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski and its adaptations (including The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild hunt computer games). Like all Witchers, Geralt is a monster hunter for-hire. He possess superhuman abilities, and is a master swordsman. Geralt is also known as Gwynbleidd, meaning "The White Wolf" in Elder Speech. He was given this alias by the dryads. He is also called the Butcher of Blaviken. Geralt's first name was bestowed on him by Visenna, his mother. However, despite his surname, Geralt does not hail from Rivia. In actuality, he grew up in the Witcher keep Kaer Morhen in the realm of Kaedwen. In an attempt to appear more trustworthy to potential clients, young Witchers invent surnames for themselves. Geralt's first choice of name was "Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde," a choice that was dismissed by his mentor Vesemir as silly and pretentious. In the end, Geralt chose the name "of Rivia" as a more practical alternative. Geralt adopted a Rivian accent to enhance the authenticity of his choice of name. At one point, Queen Meve of Lyria knighted Geralt for his valour in the Battle for the Bridge on the Yaruga, and granted him the formal title "of Rivia," a boom which the Witcher found highly amusing. Geralt's granted title makes him a knight of Lyria, affording him effective noble status. Biography Geralt is the son of the sorceress Visenna and, presumably, the warrior Korin. Shortly his birth, Geralt was taken by his mother to the Wolf School, the Kaer Morhen stronghold. There, Geralt was trained and made to be a Witcher. He survived the many ravaging mutations required to grant Witcher's their abilities, and passed the Trial of the Grasses, Geralt's training and physical modifications afford him superhuman physical and mental abilities, including heightened reflexes, increased speed, great strength and enhanced hearing. Due to his excellent success in training, Geralt was selected for additional mutation experiments. He is the only Witcher to have survived these experiments. His stark white hair is a side effect of these additional mutations. After finishing His Witcher training, Geralt embarked into the world on a horse named Roach, a name he would bestow on every one of his later horses. Thus, he became a monster slayer for hire. At one point, Geralt demanded the unborn child of princess Pavetta and her husband Duny as a reward for his services. The child was born a girl, and Geralt refused her. However, fate caused Geralt and the girl, Cirilla, to cross paths three times. Eventually, Geralt took the girl as his ward, following the death of her grandmother, Queen Calanthe. Now, he loves her as his own daughter. Geralt's best friend is Dandelion the bard, and his lover and romantic love is Yennefer. Personality Geralt's personality and character is largely left up to the choices of the player. He is by nature a loner and an outcast, with a ruthless streak to him that makes him extremely dangerous when provoked (or when the appropriate dialogue choices are made by the player). Despite his outwardly cold nature, Dandelion notes that behind his exterior lies a fiercely loyal friend, and a man of good humor and giver of sound advice. Geralt is shown in the books and games to have many good friends all over the Northern Realms, such of Caldemeyn of Blaviken, Zoltan Chivay, and of course Dandelion. Geralt is also shown to be extremely adept at defusing difficult situations in the video games, and as a man who would much sooner have everyone return home than to draw his sword. His experience of at least 97 years in the world makes him a world-weary man, often expressing disdain and veiled insults to those he considers cruel, foolish, etc. Geralt is consistently shown as fiercely loyal to friends of his. Depending on player choice, he risks Temeria's future to save Triss Merigold from the Kaedwenis. In The Edge of the World, he was shown requesting Scoia'Tael to spare Dandelion and kill only Geralt. as Geralt in The Hexer movie]] In The Hexer movie and TV series, the major role of Geralt as an adult was played by Michał Żebrowski, but a younger Geralt was portrayed by Maciej Łagodziński. Both the series and the movie were based largely on the previously published short stories, taking a few liberties here and there with the narrative. Naturally, Geralt appears in all thirteen episodes of the series and is the protagonist of the film. In the English version of the game, Geralt is voiced by Doug Cockle and in the Polish version by Jacek Rozenek. After seemingly having been killed by a mob during a pogrom of non-humans at the end of the Witcher saga, Geralt returns to life with no recollection of the details of his sudden reappearance or the intervening five years. He is rescued by the last remaining witchers in the world and taken back to Kaer Morhen. There, he is drawn into a complicated conspiracy concerning the witchers, their secrets and the nefarious forces who are after that knowledge. Geralt pursues the mysterious Salamandra, and in the process meets many people from his past, as well as new acquaintances who either require the witcher's help, or offer their own in his quest to regain his identity. Journal entry : A book entitled "The Rivian Pogrom" claims that Geralt, known also as the White Wolf, died during a massacre of non-humans. The pogrom took place in the city of Rivia just after the war with Nilfgaard. Geralt was killed by an angry mob when he tried to defend the oppressed. The sorceress Triss Merigold and the dwarf Zoltan Chivay witnessed his death. The witcher's body was never found. : The bard Dandelion recounts the adventures of the witcher Geralt in his ballads. After reading them, one may conclude that the White Wolf was the most famous witcher of his time. He actively participated in many historical events, such as the mage rebellion on Thanedd Island. Dandelion's poems are mostly devoted to Geralt's fights against monsters, the numerous romantic entanglements for which he is famous, and to his love for a certain sorceress. : Some years ago, Geralt of Rivia came to King Foltest's court in search of work. He obtained a contract to free the monarch's daughter Adda from a spell which had turned her into a striga, or to kill her if all else failed. The witcher managed to free the girl from the spell, and discovered that one of the courtiers had been responsible for the curse. Journal Entry : Behold our hero: subjected to mutations and rigorous sword and sorcery training as a child, he has become a superhuman monster slayer. Always penniless and often disdained by those whom he protects, he wanders the world seeking work. Fate has little mercy for him, piling obstacles in his way, yet he trudges on. He has more scruples than a beggaring bum has fleas. Doubts haunt him even when a band of ruffians, knives drawn, approaches him on the highway. Is he a good man? I do not think so. Does he try to maintain his humanity? I believe he does. : You must know that Geralt of Rivia died once already, or at least everyone thought him dead. During a massacre in Rivia, he sought to defend nonhumans and fell to overwhelming odds. Placed in a boat, he floated into the mist, into a realm where he finally found peace. Not for long. Because of forces to mentioned later, Geralt returned just in time to defend the witchers' ancient home fortress, and then embarked on a mission to recover the secrets stolen from it. Along the way he took part in a Scoia'tael uprising, shattered a powerful criminal organization, and killed the Grand Master of the Order of the Flaming Rose. All the while his fame as a lover grew. Well, that's Geralt for you. As if all this wasn't enough, he then foiled the attempted assassination of King Foltest of Temeria and became one of the monarch's most trusted men. The third installment of the trilogy will, like its predecessors, follow Geralt through his final adventure. Following the events of Witcher 2, Geralt has regained his memory of the past and prepares to embark on a new journey. In Witcher 3, Geralt is on the search for the only person he considers kin, Ciri. Along his journey, Geralt must face the Wild Hunt in order to protect the people he cares about. In the new open world, Geralt will have the opportunity to complete quests both part of the main story and side quests. He will also interact with old friends Dandelion and Vesemir along with potential lovers Triss Merigold and Yennefer. Journal Entry :Many cannot fathom the friendship Geralt of Rivia and I, Dandelion, have shared all these years. When we first began breaking bread together, spiteful tongues said he'd be better off cutting my throat and dumping my body in a hollow tree - before I provoked someone else into doing the same to us both. Those individuals spoke out of pure jealousy, for Geralt was my dearest friend, a fact which he gave ample evidence of on numerous occasions. :I could say a great deal about that world-famous monster hunter, the man known in Elder Speech as Gwynbleidd, or, in our younger (yet no less noble) tongue, as the White Wolf. For Geralt of Rivia is a truly exceptional individual. A brief encounter might tempt one to label him a mere swinger of swords, a simple monster-catcher, a rough-and-tumble practitioner of a dirty trade - but peer closer and you will soon discover he is a man of unplumbed depths, unique views and vast, world-spanning experience. :On the surface, he is introverted, tight-lipped, one might even say gruff, but underneath lies an overflowing sea of goodwill, good humor, and an honest readiness to help his friends, be it with a bit of sound advice or the masterful application of his blade. :Setting aside cumbersome false modesty, I can say that I know his story better than any man alive. I was with him through hard times and good, helping with wise advice, warm words and razor wit. As a result, I am a vital part of his story, both in its earlier and present portions. It is thus my duty to continue my chronicle and, for the benefit of future generations, put in writing the next chapter of his deeds and exploits. Trivia * Geralt's name in the Elder Speech, Gwynbleidd, is very similar to the Welsh translation of "white wolf", which is blaidd gwyn. * Most of The Witcher 2 promotional screenshots or artwork featuring Geralt display a fairly different model, an early design, even the cover of the game doesn't use the in game model for Geralt. A different model was planned to replace Geralt's face from The Witcher, but due to protests in Poland, CDP edited the old model and placed it into the game. * CD Projekt RED revealed in a Q&A on Raptr that the first publishing offer they got for The Witcher was on the condition that they made Geralt female, amongst other changes. In other languages : cs:Geralt z Riviede:Geralt von Rivael:Geralt of Riviaes:Geralt de Riviafr:Geralt de Rivit:Geralt di Riviahu:Ríviai Geraltlt:Geraltaspl:Geraltru:Геральтsk:Geralt z Riviesr:Гералт од Ривиеsv:Geralt av Riviavi:Geralt of Riviapt-br:Geralt de Rívia Category:Characters Category:Characters in the comics Category:Characters in the movie and TV series Category:Characters in the novels Category:Characters in the short stories Category:The Witcher characters Category:The Witcher 2 characters Category:Witcher (race) Category:The Witcher 3 characters